How communicators can fight information overload

摘要

The situation is all too familiar: 50 new messages in your e-mail inbox, four reports that demand your attention, a new intranet section to review, an interesting Web site to check out, plus the new issue of a trade journal that you should read and pass on to colleagues. And all of this while attending meetings and workshops, answering phone calls and trying to come up with solutions to pressing problems. You are experiencing information overload: too much information, too little time. Here are seven ideas that you can use to reduce information overload for your internal and external audiences: 1. Provide information when it is needed. 2. Provide an overview. 3. Use simple and systematic diagrams or visual metaphors to summarize your messages and help your audience get an overview of your main points. 4. Keep it consistent. 5. Make it personal. 6. Make it interactive. 7. Make it accessible.